Welcome to week four of my Football League blog. We concentrated on League One and Two last week, so it's probably a good time to take another look at the Championship's supposed "big beasts".

Thought for the week

In the Championship success is related to money but decent coaching also definitely counts

Many people are surprised to see Newcastle United sitting on top of the division after winning five and drawing one of their league games this season, especially as they are under the caretaker charge of the previously much-underestimated and patronised Chris Hughton.

Perhaps we should suspend our disbelief. After all, the average Championship annual wage bill is around £9m. At Newcastle it is currently hovering somewhere between £30m and £40m after being halved by player departures this summer. Granted, the squad is now worryingly thin, but Newcastle's remaining players are almost invariably better than their counterparts at rival clubs. The chasm between the Premier League and the Championship is such that individuals who struggled at elite level are still too strong for the B stream.

After spending an entire pre-season in charge, Hughton has got Newcastle organised in a way they rarely were last season. Suddenly players such as Alan Smith, Kevin Nolan and Jonás Gutiérrez, who seemingly "couldn't see the bigger picture" among elite company, are showing why the club were once persuaded to pay them sums in excess of £50,000 a week.

If Newcastle's ascent to the summit is down to a combination of class and coaching, Ipswich's woeful, winless start to the season raises questions about Roy Keane's ability to manage without much money. By his standards Keane hasn't spent a great deal at Ipswich, and his decision to concentrate on signing ex-Sunderland players suggests his Suffolk scouting network may not be too hot. Back at the Stadium of Light he always bought his way out of trouble, with an array of incomers – usually ex-Ireland or Manchester United – arriving with each transfer window.

Now Keane has to show that he can succeed both on the training pitch and in terms of man-management. It is extremely early days but the initial signs are not promising. More worryingly still was a recent interview Sunderland's Andy Reid gave to the Irish press. Asked about the differences between Keane and his Wearside successor, Steve Bruce, the midfielder explained that, whereas Bruce gives players specific instructions, Keane assumed everyone should instinctively know what to do on the pitch. In other words they should be able to "just go out there and play". Reid added that Sunderland are now benefiting from the increased direction offered by the experienced Bruce.

You wonder if, down in League One, the horribly struggling John Barnes is similarly failing to get through to a bunch of Tranmere Rovers players who, with the best will in the world, will never be anywhere near as good as the former England winger. Paradoxically, Barnes is a big tactical thinker on the game but, right now, his ideas do not seem to be communicated properly to his Prenton Park charges.

Which rather prompts the question: If Newcastle are finally taken over and Hughton is replaced by Alan Shearer, will the former England captain and record Newcastle goalscorer actually prove as good a manager as the current caretaker?

One to watch out for

Marek Cech, West Bromwich Albion

The Slovakian fell out with Tony Mowbray and was duly placed in a metaphorical deep freeze at The Hawthorns last season but has been restored to prominence by Roberto Di Matteo, who has given the left-sided player a new, more attacking role. Cech scored two goals in the 3-1 win at home to Plymouth and now seems a key component of West Brom's promotion challenge. Sometimes these things really are just down to human chemistry.

Games to look forward to

Can Neil Warnock recover pride lost during Palace's 4-0 home weekend trouncing at the hands of Scunthorpe? Palace will be up against their former midfielder Ben Watson, who has joined QPR on a four-month loan from Wigan.

Blackpool v Newcastle (tomorrow)

Will Newcastle extend their unbeaten run and continue walking in a "Chrissy Hughton Wonderland"?